700+ Signatures — Thank You! Here’s Where the Crystal Palace Preservation Campaign Stands

We did it — we have officially passed 700 signatures!

As of September 7, the Save Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace Preservation Campaign has reached 710 signatures.

I want to personally thank every person who has signed, shared the petition, talked about the Crystal Palace, shared a memory, watched or shared the news coverage, or helped bring attention to this effort.

When this petition began on August 14, the goal was simple: make sure the future of Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace receives serious consideration before an irreversible decision is made.

That remains our goal today.

Why This Campaign Matters

Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace is more than a former restaurant, concert venue, and museum. It is a physical connection to Buck Owens, the Buckaroos, Bakersfield musicians, country music fans, and an important chapter in the story of the Bakersfield Sound.

The Crystal Palace opened in 1996 and became a place where Bakersfield’s musical history could be celebrated while new generations of musicians continued making their own history.

I also have a very personal connection to the Palace. I began visiting it in 1999, and in 2007, performing with the Crystal Palace house band became an important milestone in the beginning of my professional music career. Buck Owens and the people surrounding the Crystal Palace had a lasting influence on me.

That is one reason I could not simply stand by without trying to help.

The Future Is Still Uncertain

I want to continue being very careful about the facts.

This campaign is NOT claiming that demolition has been approved, scheduled, or is certain to happen.

Public reporting has indicated that multiple offers have been received for the property and that at least one proposal has involved tearing down the building. At the same time, no final sale or demolition outcome has been publicly announced.

The Buck Owens Private Foundation has publicly expressed hope that the right person will step forward to bring the building back to life.

That means there is still a reason to keep working.

Our campaign is not attacking the Owens family, the Foundation, prospective buyers, or responsible development. We recognize that this is privately owned property and that its future involves real financial, legal, business, and practical considerations.

We are also NOT asking the City of Bakersfield or another government agency to simply purchase the Crystal Palace.

What we are asking is that preservation remain seriously on the table.

Preservation Does Not Have to Mean Turning Back the Clock

Another important part of this campaign has become clearer as we have listened to the community.

Preserving the Crystal Palace does not necessarily mean that it must reopen and operate exactly as it did before.

A financially sustainable future could involve adaptive reuse while still respecting the building, Buck Owens’ legacy, the museum history, and the Crystal Palace’s connection to country music.

People have suggested many possibilities. Those ideas are not formal campaign proposals, and we are not endorsing one particular business model. But they demonstrate something important:

There may be more than one way to give this building a future.

We Have Been Reaching Out

Since the campaign began, we have been contacting organizations, government offices, preservation resources, historians, archives, media outlets, and members of the Bakersfield music community.

The Bakersfield Historic Preservation Commission has been contacted, and we have been working to better understand what historic or cultural recognition processes may be available for a privately owned property.

We also contacted City staff with a specific question about whether a member of the public or a preservation campaign can initiate or request consideration of Cultural Resource designation when the campaign does not own the property. That inquiry has since been forwarded to the City of Bakersfield’s Economic Development division, and we are awaiting further guidance.

We have also contacted California historic-preservation and cultural-resource organizations as we continue researching what options may exist.

Congressman Vince Fong’s office has been contacted to ask about possible federal historic-preservation resources, programs, agencies, grants, or other appropriate referrals. We made clear that we are seeking information and guidance — not asking the federal government to purchase the property.

Historical Research Is Growing Too

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum responded to our outreach and provided archival research resources relating to Buck Owens, the Crystal Palace, and Bakersfield.

That assistance should not be interpreted as an endorsement of this campaign, but the archival resources are valuable as we continue documenting the history surrounding the Palace and its connection to country music.

The Jack Maguire Local History Room at the Beale Memorial Library has also provided information about Bakersfield’s historic-preservation process and additional local historical resources.

Other local historical and preservation resources have responded or provided referrals as well, and additional outreach remains pending.

The Campaign Has Received Media Attention

Local television stations have covered the effort, helping more people learn about the uncertainty surrounding the Crystal Palace and the effort to preserve it.

Most recently, KGET 17 aired additional television coverage concerning the campaign.

I am grateful to every journalist and news organization that has taken the time to tell this story and give members of the community an opportunity to discuss what the Crystal Palace means to Bakersfield.

We Have Been Listening to the Public

I have also been reviewing public comments left on television news coverage about the Crystal Palace.

Those comments do not all agree — and that is important.

Many people strongly support preservation. Some remember going to the Crystal Palace and say they miss it. Some specifically mention the museum and its country-music history. One person outside Bakersfield said they had never been to the Palace but would travel from Ventura County to visit if it reopened.

Other people have suggested adaptive-reuse ideas, grassroots fundraising, or possible private-sector involvement.

There are also people who question whether the building should receive historic recognition, oppose spending public money on it, or simply do not believe it should be preserved.

We are listening to those viewpoints too.

This campaign should not pretend that everyone agrees. Our job is to make the case for preservation responsibly, respectfully, and with accurate information.

One thing the comments have reinforced is that people are thinking not only about the physical building. They are also thinking about the museum, memorabilia, the Crystal Palace name, Buck Owens’ legacy, Bakersfield’s identity, and whether future generations will still have a physical place where this history can be experienced.

710 Signatures — And We’re Not Finished

Crossing 700 signatures is an important milestone, but it is not the finish line.

Every new signature demonstrates that another person believes the future of the Crystal Palace deserves serious consideration.

If you have already signed, please help us with the next step:

Share this petition with one more person.

Send it to a country music fan.

Send it to someone who grew up in Bakersfield.

Send it to someone who remembers Buck Owens.

Send it to a musician.

Send it to someone who visited the Crystal Palace.

And if you have a personal memory of Buck Owens or the Crystal Palace, please continue sharing those stories. Those memories help demonstrate why this place matters to people.

We will continue researching preservation possibilities, contacting appropriate organizations and officials, listening to the community, and advocating for a future that respects both the Crystal Palace’s cultural significance and the practical realities involved in preserving it.

Thank you for helping us reach more than 700 signatures.

Thank you for caring about Bakersfield history.

And thank you for helping make sure this conversation happens before it is too late.

The music made history.
The Crystal Palace tells its story.
Let’s make sure that story has a future.

Buck helped preserve Bakersfield history. Now it’s our turn to help preserve his.

Preserve the Palace. Protect the Bakersfield Sound. Preserve Bakersfield History.